Date: October 13, 2021
Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 4, No. 22
“Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.” (Prov 26:8NIV)
Those are the words of Solomon the wise. And what do they mean? Well, they mean that just as a sling is bound to lose any stone tied in it, a fool is also bound to lose whatever honour, wealth or position given to him. It is only a matter of time.
For example, when this wise man, Solomon, died, his son, Rehoboam, succeeded him as king over the nation of Israel. So, naturally, he inherited the kingdom, honour, wealth, influence and greatness of his father. But was he able to retain these things? No! Why? It was because he was a foolish man. And how did he show himself to be foolish? He showed himself to be foolish by not taking heed to the wise counsel of the wise elders, who had directly served with his father, on how to relate to his subjects. (Cf. 1Kings 12:1-24)
Therefore, anyone who does not know how to seek wise counsel, recognise it and act on it is a fool. And it does not matter what degree of honour you confer on that person or how much resources you entrust to them, they are bound to lose everything. That being the case, regardless of our position in life or what measure of wealth or honour we have bestowed on us, we must learn to seek, recognise and act on wise counsel on how to use it. Otherwise, we are bound to lose it.
In like manner, if we want to honour people or entrust them with some position, resources or people, we must be certain that they are individuals who know how to seek and handle wise counsel, especially as it relates to what we are entrusting to them. Otherwise, we may end up wasting everything on them. And who are going to blame afterwards? Ourselves!
Now, of course, being foolish in life goes beyond not knowing how to seek and handle wise counsel. There are other manifestations of foolishness. For example, being wasteful is also a manifestation of foolishness. We see this illustrated in the bible story of the prodigal son. That young man squandered the wealth he got from his father in reckless living and so ended up in poverty. He left his father’s house full but came back empty. What a foolish young man! (Cf. Luke 15)
In any case, if we too are wasteful in the way we use our resources or those entrusted to us by others, we are bound to lose them and whatever measure of comfort, honour or position we have received because of them. And if we entrust our wealth or possessions to a wasteful, slothful, careless or reckless person, it won’t be long before we lose everything because of them. So, in entrusting things to people, be sure you know their attitude towards the management of resources. Otherwise, you will eventually have only yourself to blame, when they have lost everything of value you commit to them.
Then what about pride, whether towards God or men? It is also a manifestation of foolishness. And anyone who has it is bound to lose whatever degree of honour, wealth or position they are given in life. In fact, they may even lose their life in the process. (Cf. Prov 16:18; Isaiah 2:11&17; Dan 4&5; Acts 12:19-23)
So, if we are concerned about not losing God’s blessings of honour, wealth, position or influence in our lives, we must allow Him to rid our lives of every form of foolishness through His word. Then we must also watch out for manifestation of foolishness in the lives of those we relate to, so that they don’t bring us to ruin through their foolishness. And may your heart continually overflow with God’s wisdom, so that you do not lose any of the things given to you by Him for your enjoyment, elevation and usefulness in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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